[Tennis - 1-7 August]

Re: Tennis - 1-7 August For tonight; Stepanek vs Odesnick - Stepanek -3 games 1.80 at bet365 (4/10) Stepanek is a solid pro, who has a decent hard court game as shown in his first round win over Philipp Petzscher where he came from a set down to comfortably win in the end 6-7 6-4 6-0. If he can carry that form from the last couple of sets into this match then he should have a very good chance at beating this handicap. Whilst Odesnick is not a bad hard courter, he is lucky to be here after Mardy Fish pulled out of the competition, making him the lucky loser. Stepanek should be professional enough to see of any threat he may pose here. Indeed they have met once on hard courts in Jan 2010 and Stepenek won by 6 games then. Considered the sets handicap here but the games line allows for a slow start as in Stepaneks first round match Paszek vs Kirlenko - Paszek +3.5 games 1.95 at bwin (4/10) No reason why Paszek cant win this one. The head to head is 2-0 in her favour (both on hard as well) and they are very close in the rankings. Paszek will have a lot of confidence following a strong Wimbledon, a semi final appearance in Stanford last week and a great comeback win against Halep in the first round here. Kirilenko is a decent enough player and may have enough to keep it tight but cant see her running away with, and for me is more than likely to drop atleast one set, which should be enough I hope to make this handicap a success. :hope

[Tennis - 1-7 August]

Re: Tennis - 1-7 August Cracking stuff Psycho, some great picks.

Baltacha vs Radwanska - Radwanska -5.5 games 1.95 at Victor Chandler (3/10) :ok

So its +4.17 units for me now. Not seen much to tempt me at Kitzbuhel today but might be back with a pick or two for the matches stateside later. Good luck to all that have a bet today.

[Tennis - 1-7 August]

Re: Tennis - 1-7 August

Giraldo vs Brands - Giraldo -3.5 games 1.83 at bet365 (4/10) :ok Volandri vs Grannolers - Volandri to win 3.25 at Sporting Bet (2/10) :\

Small profit of 1.32 units :loon Had a quick look at the WTA action tonight and like the look of; Baltacha vs Radwanska - Radwanska -5.5 games 1.95 at Victor Chandler (3/10) I like Radwanska on the hard courts, think she can be a very effective player on her day. Certainly should be too good for Baltacha, who has lost by this handicap to Razzano and Koryttseva in the past two hard courts events. Radwanska is a step up from those two and has already beaten her by this margin or more in their previous two meetings. :hope

[Tennis - 1-7 August]

Re: Tennis - 1-7 August Like Psycho i've been having a think about the Volandri vs Grannolers match ever since Grannolers made his final last week. Having played, won and possibly celebrated a little last Sunday, it will be difficult for him to be focused on this match, and I think Volandri is good enough to take advantage of that. Whether the lack of focus will only be for a couple of games, a set or the whole match who knows but the price offered on Volandri is too tempting for me to ignore. Also Volandri has already beat Grannolers on the clay this year which is another interesting factor. Volandri vs Grannolers - Volandri to win 3.25 at Sporting Bet (2/10) :hope

[Tennis - 1-7 August]

Re: Tennis - 1-7 August A quick picks from me for today; Giraldo vs Brands - Giraldo -3.5 games 1.83 at bet365 (4/10) For me Giraldo is better in is ability and consistancy on these clay courts. They are the same age but Giraldo has found it a lot easier to make the step up from challenger successes to the main ATP tour than Brands has.

[Tennis - 1-7 August]

Re: Tennis - 1-7 August Don't think i'm going to have much time to do match picks this week so have gone for a few outrights just to keep things interesting during the week. Vera Zvonereva to win Carlsbad - 5.0 with Stan James - (2/10) Ok not really much of a pick given that Zvonereva is top seed here and the only top 10 player in the draw. She generally goes very well on hard courts both in the US and overseas. A semi at Australian Open has been followed by another two wins and two semis in other hard court events this season. She also has a fantastic hard court season at the back end of 2010, so will be confident on this surface, and given her ranking shouldn't be fearing anyone in this draw. Marcos Baghdatis to win Washington ATP - 17.0 at Paddy Power (1/10) Annoyed I didn't but this on last night, as the price has dropped by 4.0 points overnight. I guess Marcos and this bet could fail spectactularly if he keeps up his 2011 form, where he has struggled on this surface, and indeed lost last week in the LA event in the first round. However if any tournament was the one for him to pick up his form its this one. Its a more prestige tournament, he has a bye in the first round so extra rest and practice, has the easier side of the draw in my opinion and has good H2H's against some of what I would consider the other major competitors here. He certainly has a good chance as any to make the final again as he did last year at this event. Fabio Fognini to win Kitzbuhel - 15.0 BetFred (1/10) Fognini has never won a top level singles title but he is having a strong 2011 on the clay (his favoured surface) and I feel that win might not be too far off. He has been a nearly man in a number of occasions over the last couple of years, and indeed the last few months, where he has made the semi's at Umag, and the Qtr's at Roland Garros. This tournament is one of the last clay ones of the season and as its his preffered surface I would suggest its one of the last chances for him to get a winners trophy this year. :hope

[Tennis - 25-31 July]

Re: Tennis - 25-31 July

Heather Watson vs Stephanie Dubois - Watson to win 1.83 at Stan James (4/10 units) :\ Peer vs Kudryavtseva - Peer -4.5 games 1.73 at bet365 (4.5/10 stake):ok Williams vs Kirilenko - Williams -5.5 games 1.75 at bwin (3.5/10 units):\

A slighty concerning -11.87 units for the week. Was close with the Serena pick, only 0.5 games out, but disappointed with Watson. A set up, and keeping the second set tight she eventually loses it and then collapses in the third. Will see if I can get some success in the mens qtrs today; Juan Carlos Ferrero vs Carlos Bercloq - Ferrero -3.5 games 1.80 at bwin (3 units) Not expecting a huge victory for Ferrero but he should be able to complete a routine win here that would allow this games handicap to be met. Del Potro vs Ernest Gulbis - Del Potro -4.5 games 1.85 at bwin (4.5 units) Del Potro leads the H2H 3-0 and all those victories covered this handicap and have been on the hard courts. :hope

[Tennis - 25-31 July]

Re: Tennis - 25-31 July A couple more from me for tonight's action Peer vs Kudryavtseva - Peer -4.5 games 1.73 at bet365 (4.5/10 stake) I rate Peer quite highly on the hard courts and she certainly has more than enough quality to see off her opponent tonight. Kudryavtseva has a good record on the hard at lesser events over the past couple of years but struggles to make the step up often floundering against the bigger names. This was evident in March last year when Peer beat her on hard 6-1 6-0. As that win was by 11 games I dont think its beyond possibility that Peer should be able to cover the 4.5 quite easily. Williams vs Kirilenko - Williams -5.5 games 1.75 at bwin (3.5/10 units) When she's fit and in the right frame of mind we all know Serena is a dominant force on all surfaces. Her double bagel win over Rodionova is round one hows that she may well be getting back to finding her 'A' game. If she finds it again tonight then I dont think Kirilenko has much of a chance. She is 4-0 in head to heads, 3 of which have beat this handicap including a 6-2 6-3 win at Wimbledon last month. :hope

[Tennis - 25-31 July]

Re: Tennis - 25-31 July

Baltacha vs Razzano - Razzono to win 2.02 at bwin (3/10 units) :ok Radwanska vs Chang - Radwanska -5.5 games 1.75 at Victor Chandler (4.5/10 units) :\

So close with the Radwanska bet as well, as she won by 5 games. Another small loss for the day but not too disappointed. Still -8.49 units for the week. So far have only taken this for tomorrow, but i'm likely to be back with more this evening once full sets of odds have been released. Heather Watson vs Stephanie Dubois - Watson to win 1.83 at Stan James (4/10 units) I think Watson has shown that she is already a decent hard courter with some successes on the surface already in her short career. Dubois is not to shabby either coming in to this tournament on the back of a winners trophy in Granby. Simply looking at that you would fancy a tight game however these two played in March in a hard court event and Watson thumped Dubois 6-1, 6-0. Dont think it will be that one sided again given Dubois form but she have a tough job reversing that scoreline. :hope

[Tennis - 25-31 July]

Re: Tennis - 25-31 July I already have the Juan Carlos Ferrero outright and its good to see him in the last 8 already. I'm going to take another outright bet in the womens event in Washington. Nadia Petrova to win WTA Washington - 6.5 at Victor Chandler (1/10 units) I thought Dokic would be her biggest competitor in the bottom part of the draw but she has gone, and I can't see too much else to trouble her on the way to the final. She's likely to meet Peer in that final and she has a 5-0 record over her, so would fancy her chances in that one. :hope

[Tennis - 25-31 July]

Re: Tennis - 25-31 July

Keothavong vs Brianti – Keothavong to win 2.0 at skybet (3/10 stake) :\ Alison Riske vs Eugenie Bouchard – Riske -3.5 games 1.83 at bet365 (3/10 stake):\ Serena Williams vs Anastacia Rodionova – Williams -5.5 games 1.85 at Victor Chandler (3/10 stakes) :ok Ryan Harrison vs Richard Berankis – Berankis +2.5 games 1.83 at Victor Chandler (3/10 stakes) :\ Peer vs Fuda - Peer -5.5 games 1.80 at Victor Chandler - (3/10 units) :ok e

Not brilliant -7.05 units for the week. Going for these today; Baltacha vs Razzano - Razzono to win 2.02 at bwin (3/10 units) Razzano is a solid competitor and in my eyes much better on this surface than Baltacha. The convincing win over Doi in round one makes me believe that Razzano is 100% focused on tennis when out on the court at least so hopefully there shouldn't be too many other factors to consider other than tennis ability and as said I think Razzano has more on this surface than Baltacha. The H2h is also 2-0 to Razzano. Radwanska vs Chang - Radwanska -5.5 games 1.75 at Victor Chandler (4.5/10 units) Radwanska should be too strong for the world number 147 Kai Chen Chang are I see a bit of a demolition job by Radwanska. The first round win for Chang against Hillary Barte was her first win on this surface in 6 tournaments so I doubt Radwanska see her as a major threat. Radwanska often races through the opening 2/3 rounds of tournaments and for me thats likely to happen again here. :hope

[Tennis - 25-31 July]

Re: Tennis - 25-31 July One final one for me in Stanford WTA event tonight; Peer vs Fuda - Peer -5.5 games 1.80 at Victor Chandler - (3/10 units) Peer is a consistently strong hard courter, and will be looking to use this tournmanet to find a bit of form and ranking points following first round defeats in all of her last 4 tournaments (on grass and clay). In my eyes this game against qualifier Fuda is exactly what she needs to get her form going again, and can see her being too good for Fuda who has done little of note on this surface. These 2 met October last year and Peer had a slow start losing the opening set, but came back to win by 5 games. Hopefully she is not as sluggish tonight, and she can take it over the 5.5 line. :hope

[Tennis - 25-31 July]

Re: Tennis - 25-31 July

Elena Baltacha vs Yaroslava Shvedova - Shevdova +3.5 games 1.80 at bet365 (3/10 units)

:\ Baltacha came out the blocks well in the first set which pretty much ruined this bet for me. Oh well, hopefully more luck today with the following punts; -3 units for the week. Keothavong vs Brianti – Keothavong to win 2.0 at skybet (3/10 stake) Keothavong has a 2-0 H2H record against Brianti, both on a hard surface (indoors) which is the main reason for this bet. Both ladies are pretty inconsistent on this surface, so I can’t see either making too much of an impact overall at this tournament but the H2H suggest that Keothavong should have the game to beat Brianti here. Hopefully she will also take some advice from fellow Brits Heather Watson and Elena Baltacha who have beaten Brianti 3 times between them already this year. Alison Riske vs Eugenie Bouchard – Riske -3.5 games 1.83 at bet365 (3/10 stake) Bouchard who is currently ranked no 376 is not a name known to me but she will be known to Riske as they have already met once, in autumn last year when Riske won 6-2 6-4. Judging by that score and the difference in rankings I will have a go with this handicap for Riske. Serena Williams vs Anastacia Rodionova – Williams -5.5 games 1.85 at Victor Chandler (3/10 stakes) Serena is still in the early days of her comeback into tennis following illness but I’m hoping Wimbledon has whet the appetite for more tennis and that she embraces this easy opportunity to progress (she is lucky not to have had a much tougher draw). This is a surface that Serena likes and has had much success on in the past, whereas for Rodionova, particularly this year it has caused her problems and she has only won 2/10 games on the hard this season and has struggled against the better players inc Li Na and Shuai Peng. The two h2h’s have also beaten this handicap so signs are good I feel. Ryan Harrison vs Richard Berankis – Berankis +2.5 games 1.83 at Victor Chandler (3/10 stakes) I think these two are very closely matched players at the moment, and this could be a tight game, certainly a lot tighter than the 3 previous meetings which Berankis has won with ease. I still fancy Berankis to make it 4-0 in the head to head, but the odds are quite generous in this match I feel so have taken the slighty less risky option and gone with a + games handicap. :hope

[Tennis - 25-31 July]

Re: Tennis - 25-31 July I had a pretty bad week last week, but had a couple of days away to refresh and rethink so hopefully can get some results this week. Not much going for me in todays matches except for one in Stanford. Elena Baltacha vs Yaroslava Shvedova - Shevdova +3.5 games 1.80 at bet365 (3/10 units) Shevdova has had a bit of a slump down the rankings in the last year, but this time in 2010 she was a top 30 player who had reached the last 16 at Miami a couple of months earlier, as well as having a few other successful runs at other WTA and ITF hard court events since 2009. With a decent record like that I’m happy to back her on a + games handicap against Baltacha who is rarely seen producing a convincing win, and struggled on the hard surfaces of Baku last week. :hope I'm also having a think about a few outrights this week and so far i've taken; Juan Carlos Ferrero – to win Umag ATP outright 6.5 at BetFred (1/10 units) Ferrero has slowly been progressing back up the rankings mainly thanks to strong showings at clay events, with a qtr final in Barcelona back in April and a winners trophy in Stuttgart two weeks ago. He was also the winner in Umag last year, so will have the added incentive of wanting hold onto the title. I don’t believe this is too strong of a field so he has a good chance of doing just that. Good luck to all the have a bet today.

[Tennis - 25-31 July]

Plenty of mens and womens action this week The men have three tournaments on the go in ; Croatia (Umag) - on clay Switzerland (Gaastad) - on clay LA - on hard The women have two tournaments stateside in; Stanford - on hard Washington - on hard Good luck to all this week, and I hope mods don't mind me starting this thread off.

[Tennis - 18-24 July]

Re: Tennis - 18-24 July Not had time to have a good look at the match ups over the last two days, but have picked a few games for tomorrow. Hopefully will help win back some of what I lost at the start of the week. Kateryna Bondarenko v Mariya Koryttseva – Bonderenko -3.5 games 1.73 at bet365 Neither player are exactly hard court specialist but Bonderenko is for me the better player overall and has been in good form recently both at this tournament and before. She reached the 3rd round at Wimbledon, a qtr final in Budapest and a semi final in Austria last week. She has shown no signs of fatigue from back to back tournaments in comfortably beating her two opponents so far in Baku. I’ve actually been quite impressed with Koryttseva's results so far this week, seeing off a couple of top 100 players in straight sets. However she rarely plays at WTA level and I think Bonderenko could be a step too far for her. 2 breaks should cover this. Vera Zvonareva v Anna Tatishvili – under 19.5 games 1.80 at bet365 The world number 3 is a top hard court player, and is looking strong in this tournament already. She had Kucova at 6-0, 3-0 before retired and was quick out the blocks in the first round when she too the first set 6-1. She’s generally very consistent on this surface and I can’t really recall much recently where she has lost and it could be called an upset. A defeat to Tatishvili would be just that, and I can’t see it happening. A relatively routine win for Zvonera should just about cover this game line, and given some of the set scores she has already racked up this week I think Zvonareva could progress easily. Galina Voskoboeva v Anastasia Pavlyuchenkova – Pavlyuchenkova -4.5 games 1.83 at bet365 Really had a good look at this match and considered many options including Voskobeva on the + handicap, but I’ve perhaps foolishly plumped for this one. Lost money backing the handicap for Pav in the first round after she put in one of the worst service performances you’ll ever see on the court. However despite that she still showed she had more than enough in other parts of her game to get her through despite all her service problems. Another tight set followed in the second round before things started to click eventually beating Bovina 6-4 6-0. I’m hoping the confidence gained from the second set vs Bovina will carry on into this match. She thrashed Voskobeva 6-1, 6-2 in their only previous match up so that shows if she’s in the right frame of mind then she could easily triumph here. Voskoboeva has had a great week so far herself and I recall her upsetting Kirilenko in Feb this year at an event in Thailiand which make me slighty wary, but I’m going to stick with this bet, although on small stakes. :hope

[Tennis - 18-24 July]

Re: Tennis - 18-24 July Excellent picks yesterday Psycho & Mirage Going for a couple of big wins today in Baku Vera Zvonareva vs Nigini Abduraimova - Zvonareva -7.5 games 1.73 at bet365 Like the the Rezai match, this is a total mis match between the world number 3 and the world number 487. Zvonareva is strong on the hard courts, and usually starts well in competitions on it. Anastasia Pavlyuchenkova vs Valeria Solovieva - Pavlyuchenkova -7 games 1.91 at bet365 Pretty much the same reasoning as above. Pavlychenkova has played well on the hard courts this season and I can see that continuing at Baku. As with Zvonareva she has a good enough record in opening round matches, usually coming through them with no major hiccups that i'm happy to back here at a bigger handicap. :hope

[Tennis - 18-24 July]

Re: Tennis - 18-24 July

Victor Crivoi vs Guillermo Olaso – over 22.5 games 2.0 at unibet :\ Jarko Nieminem vs Santiago Giraldo – over 22.5 games 2.0 at unibet :\

Not a good start to the week for me, at least both were only small stakes. Don't see much in Atlanta to interest me today and will avoid temptation to try and win money back straight away. Might be back with some picks for Baku later.

[Tennis - 18-24 July]

Re: Tennis - 18-24 July Not much going in the womens at Baku today for me, but have taken a couple of punts for the Hamburg event and may be back later with some picks for Atlanta. Victor Crivoi vs Guillermo Olaso – over 22.5 games 2.0 at unibet This is simply based on the fact that in the three head to heads between these players (all on clay), two have gone over the 22.5 game line and one was a tight match ending with 22 games. Both players have had plenty of matches on clay this year, with neither really setting the world alight and I feel that as the rankings and head to head records suggest these two are very even in their abilities so a tight game is expected. Jarko Nieminem vs Santiago Giraldo – over 22.5 games 2.0 at unibet This bet is simply based on the fact that a lot of games that these two guys have on clay seem to go overs. I haven’t got exact career stats but in 2011 7 out of the 9 senior level games (so excluding qualifiers) Nieminem has played on clay have gone over the 22.5 game line. Giraldo’s stats aren’t quite as clear cut, but still he has 12/22 games this year going over the 22.5 game line and one game having 22 games exactly. Also worth noting that the only head to head between the two also went overs with 29 games and that game was on clay as well. Worth a try I hope. Small stakes as always from me from the first round of tournaments, always like to get a feel for things at the start of the week. :hope

[Tennis - 11-17 July]

Re: Tennis - 11-17 July

Del Bonis +4.5 games vs Juan Carlos Ferrero 1.85 at bwin :ok

A great first set by Del Bonis helped this over the line. Its definitely been a very good week for me :beer As Mirage says, it should be a great final between Soderling and Ferrer. For me its too close to call so nothing going betting wise on that one, so will just enjoy the tennis on show. Going to avoid the women's finals also, but may have a look at the odds for Stuggart when they come out. Fancy a Ferrero win there but will need to see what odds & options I have.

[Tennis - 11-17 July]

Re: Tennis - 11-17 July Del Bonis +4.5 games vs Juan Carlos Ferrero 1.85 at bwin Small stakes on this one. I haven't seen much of Del Bonis with the exception of his second round match against Stakhovsky, but from that and doing a bit of reading around I think he has enough to his game to keep Ferrero close. He has a huge left handed swing, a solid serve and a good record results wise against top 100 players and as we've seen twice this tournament he has the ability to take on and beat top 50 players as well. His main downfall from what I understand is his consistency but he seems to have got a good rhythm going here in Stuggart. We all know about Ferrero's ablity & experience over the years on clay and he may well win this but I don't think it will be a walkover and because of that I like the look of this +4.5 line. :hope

[Tennis - 11-17 July]

Re: Tennis - 11-17 July

Pennetta -3 games 2.0 at Bet365 :ok Juan Carlos Ferrero -3 games 1.83 at bet365 :ok

Another two winners for me, very pleased with the weeks betting so far. Well done to all other winners today, some great shouts by Atko and Psycho. :clap Haven't seen much to tempt me in tomorrows matches although not all odds are out yet. It will be interesting to see how Del Bonis is priced up on the + handicap as I think he will give Ferrero a real tough game.

[Tennis - 11-17 July]

Re: Tennis - 11-17 July The head to head is 1-0 in favour of Begu, in a game played last week at Budapest. Begu won that one with a relatively routine 6-4 6-4 win.

[Tennis - 11-17 July]

Re: Tennis - 11-17 July Just taken another for today; Juan Carlos Ferrero -3 games 1.83 at bet365 The two head to heads between Ferrero and Granoller currently stands at 2-0 Ferrero, with both games being on clay and both games comfortably beating this handicap for Ferrero. Ferrero has missed a lot of competitions over the last year due to injury, but he's reached the quarters in two out of the three clay events he's played this year so there are some signs that he is back on form. If thats the case then I dont think Grannollers has enough to trouble him as the head to heads seem to suggest. Small stakes however. :hope

[Tennis - 11-17 July]

Re: Tennis - 11-17 July I've also been having a good think about going for Boderenko on the -1.5 handicap against Navarro in Austria tommorow (odds are 1.83). The thought for this bet came simply from the fact that Boderenko has won a set 6-0 in both of her last two rounds. For me this shows that if Boderenko senses a weakness in her opponent that she is quick to take advantage of it. Theoretically she could lose the match but if she has a 6-0 or a 6-1 etc in the bag then the handicap could still be hit. I haven't seen much of Boderenko over the last year or so, and have seen very little of Navarro so would anyone be able to offer any advice as to whether Navarro is the type of player who could be easily overawed by Bonderenko, albeit just for one set. A lot of women's players are prone to lapses in concentation, is Navarro the same??? :\